| Theme |
Abdominal Ultrasonography up-to-date |
| Title |
Contrast-enhanced Ultrasonography |
| Author |
Norio Nakata |
Department of Radiology, Jikei University, School of Medicine |
| [ Summary ] |
Sonazoid® is an ultrasound contrast agent, which has recently been used clinically in Japan. The role of Sonazoid, which is injected using intravenous bolus administration, is generally for detection and diagnosis of hepatic nodular lesions. The imaging phases of contrast US Sonazoid treatments are divided into a vascular phase and a postvascular phase (Kupffer phase). The vascular phase begins with the contrast agent flowing into the liver. The postvascular phase next produces images by employing an imaging contrast agent in the Kupffer cells of the liver. This occurs approximately ten minutes after injection. A typical hepatic hemangioma will exhibit a fill-in pattern in the vascular phase. Metastatic liver cancer will exhibit a filling defect in the post-vascular phase. A typical hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma will exhibit tumor feeding vessels in the early vascular phase and filling defects in the postvascular phase. |